One of the many stores in the Iranian capital that unofficially sells Apple products openly.

Apple is now free to sell its products to customers who plan to bring them to Iran, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. Treasury Department has loosened its trade sanctions on Iran, but Apple is still not permitted to sell directly within the country or to its government officials.

“We’ve been told by the U.S. government that most Apple products are covered by regulatory changes announced by the Treasury Department,” said an Apple spokesperson to the Journal. “As a result, Apple is no longer banned from selling Macs and iOS devices to customers who plan to bring or send those products to Iran.”

The Obama administration’s reason for easing these restrictions is to help Iranian citizens use technology to combat government censorship and oppression. Apple products have already been sold in Iran through unofficial channels for years, including a firm called Apple Iran that bears no actual relation to the real Apple Inc.

Apple complies with the complete trade embargoes the U.S. currently holds against Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.

About the author

Alex Heath is a senior writer at Cult of Mac and co-host of the CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like "ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation." If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Twitter always works too.

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